Meet our Hemp Ambassadors – National Dietitians Day

Happy National Dietitian’s Day (or Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Day to our American friends)! To celebrate this special day, we’ve rounded up a few of our Hemp Ambassadors who are Registered Dietitians to give you a glimpse into their lives and hear what they love most about being a Dietitian.

How long have you been a Registered Dietitian for?I have been a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist for nine years but have been in my Private Practice for less than two years.

Best part about being a Dietitian?I absolutely love being a Dietitian. I love teaching others how food can be nourishing and nurturing. As a Mindful and Intuitive Eating Dietitian, I don’t believe in giving food restrictions. Rather, teaching someone that all foods can be inclusive creates a positive food relationship. Food creates memories, traditions, and experiences, and I love that I get to help someone find that.

What’s your favourite food?This is a tough one because I love so many. However, I would have to pick salad. I love salads because they can be so versatile. From being made with fresh vegetables, to being made cold or warm, or to throwing a bunch of different foods over a bed of greens and creating a spontaneous salad, they’re always nutrient-dense, unique, and delicious.

What’s your favourite way to use Hemp Hearts?I absolutely LOVE Hemp Hearts. I put them on EVERYTHING, from salads, to yogurt, to smoothies, and to cereals. However, my favorite way is over toast. I love having a sweet toast in the morning with dessert hummus and a savory one with regular hummus and topping it with Hemp Hearts for extra texture and a major boost of protein!

Tell us a fun fact about yourself.I am fluent in Spanish and am a Certified Spanish Interpreter. Sometimes my words get mixed up though while speaking because I think in Spanish but speak in English or vise versa. I crack myself up at times!

What’s your favourite part about being a Hemp Ambassador?I love being a Hemp Ambassador because I get to connect with a community of wellness professionals that are passionate about health and nutrition.

How long have you been a Registered Dietitian for?I’ll be celebrating my two-year anniversary this June!

Best part about being a Dietitian?I love taking concepts that are ubiquitous to everyone (food, nutrition, and health) and personalizing them to be more relevant to the individual. Working one-on-one with individuals to develop healthy, sustainable eating patterns that nourish both their body and their soul is by far one of the most rewarding aspects of this career.

What’s your favourite food?To be honest, I’m not sure that I could ever pick just one favourite food (and if I did, I can almost guarantee that my answer would change by tomorrow!) That being said, I can’t imagine my life without nuts/nut butters, ice cream, pizza, or avocados!

What’s your favourite way to use Hemp Hearts?I follow a mostly plant-based diet, so I find that Hemp Hearts are an easy way to boost the protein content of meatless meals. When I’m in a rush (or just feeling lazy!), I sprinkle a couple of tablespoons of Hemp Hearts on salads, smoothies, toast, etc. for an added nutritional punch. I’ve also substituted Hemp Hearts in place of breadcrumbs in a variety of recipes (most recently, my Vegetarian Eggplant Meatballs) and it works like a charm!

Tell us a fun fact about yourself.I initially went to college to study Civil Engineering before making the transition to dietetics. The journey to becoming an RD was long, challenging, and stressful, but it was well worth it. I can’t imagine spending the rest of my career in any other field!

What’s your favourite part about being a Hemp Ambassador?One of the best parts of being a Hemp Ambassador is having the opportunity to introduce friends, family members, patients, and clients to a product that they may have never heard of otherwise. Hemp Hearts are definitely becoming more popular, but they’re still far from mainstream – there’s plenty of education to be done to help increase awareness of the benefits of Hemp Hearts and their versatility. (Plus, getting first look at new products is always exciting!)

Best part about being a Dietitian?There’s a lot of great things about being a dietitian! The supportive RD community, the variety of work opportunities, and talking about food all the time are great; but seeing clients succeed, supporting them on their food journey, and seeing them have aha moments is the best.

What’s your favourite food?Peanut butter!

What’s your favourite way to use Hemp Hearts?I like to put it on top of smoothie bowls or cups of yogurt.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself.After college, I moved out west to Montana to ski. I thought it would be for just a winter, but it’s now been almost 5 years! When I’m not working, you can find me skiing, mountain biking, or hiking.

What’s your favourite part about being a Hemp Ambassador?I love sharing the product with my clients, friends, and family and teaching them how to use it to better their health.

How long have you been a Registered Dietitian for?I became a Dietitian in 2015. I was pregnant with my first daughter when I was finishing up my Masters and she was only four months old when I gave the six-hour dietetic exam!

Best part about being a Dietitian?Being able to talk to people about food and help them make choices that significantly improve their daily lives.

What’s your favourite food?I’m a foodie so I enjoy many types of food. I love fresh berries from the local Farmers’ Market in the summer, steak prepared by my husband, and cheesecake made by me on special occasions!

What’s your favourite way to use Hemp Hearts?I love adding them to smoothies, overnight oats, and oatmeal.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself.I started my business Nutrition by Nazima shortly after becoming a Dietitian and skipped the conventional route of getting “work experience” first so that I can stay home with my daughter (I now have another daughter as well!).

What’s your favourite part about being a Hemp Ambassador?I love being able to share Hemp Hearts with clients and community members so they can try it out as well.

Best part about being a Dietitian?It’s difficult to pick just one thing but I love having the opportunity to educate and support people in making healthy meals that are simple and delicious.

What’s your favourite food?Peanut butter.

What’s your favourite way to use Hemp Hearts?What isn’t my favourite way is the better question! I love to use them in baking, my cookies and muffins especially.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself.Last year I ran my first 10k at the Toronto Zoo (even though I hated running going into it).

What’s your favourite part about being a Hemp Ambassador?I love getting the opportunity to educate others on the nutrition benefits of Hemp Hearts but also showing them all the different ways to use them.

Best part about being a Dietitian?The best part of being a Dietitian is teaching people about the healing power of foods. Food is medicine and a healthy diet should be treated like a prescription for certain conditions including type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Seeing people make positive changes to their health through diet is one of the most rewarding parts of the job. I love that Dietitians can also play a huge role in teaching about the sustainability of our food choices. Making greener food choices are often not only good for the planet, but are the better choices for our bodies as well.

What’s your favourite food?I am a huge lentil fan, and all other legumes. I love them because they are so versatile – Indian food, Mexican food, in salads, in stews, hummus. I also love legumes because they are a ‘greener’ alternative to animal based proteins which can carry a hefty carbon footprint. They are a budget friendly protein choice which is important to consider when counselling clients on healthy eating. Legumes as a crop help recycle soil nitrogen so decrease the need for synthetic fertilizers. They can also be produced locally, Canada is actually one of the biggest exporter of legumes. I would say Hemp Hearts are a close second, being another ‘green’ source of protein, locally grown and also super versatile (I eat hemp almost every day).

What’s your favourite way to use Hemp Hearts?Lately I have been so addicted to homemade hemp milk. It is a great higher protein milk alternative with up to 10 grams of protein per cup. It’s so easy to make, no soaking required, and so tasty. Simply blend ¾ cup of Hemp Hearts with 4 cups of water. Add sea salt, vanilla or a date for sweetness of desired. See recipe here. Hemp pate is another go-to, and is an impressive healthy appetizer to share with friends.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself.I lived in Australia for nine years and didn’t once go surfing. Now that I’ve moved back to chilly Canada I own a surfboard, a thick wetsuit, and would drive two hours to try to catch some waves.

What’s your favourite part about being a Hemp Ambassador?I love being a Hemp Ambassador because this is a product that I truly believe in. Working in diabetes management, one of the most common problems I encounter when people are trying to regulate their blood sugar levels and lose weight is inadequate protein at breakfast. Our culture loves eating carbs for breakfast (cereal, toast, fruit, milk, yogurt) which results in a spiking of our blood sugar levels as well as the fat storage hormone insulin. Having enough protein at breakfast not only helps stabilize our blood sugar levels (and insulin levels), it also helps to kick start our morning metabolism. Hemp Hearts are great because they are so versatile – they go great in smoothies, on oatmeal, sprinkled on hummus and avocado toast. I usually suggest my clients add 3 to 4 tbsp. of Hemp Hearts to their breakfast.

How long have you been a Registered Dietitian for?I’ve been a dietitian since 2013, so just about five years now.

Best part about being a Dietitian?My favourite part about being a dietitian is empowering individuals to make informed, healthy choices and releasing the idea of “good” and “bad” foods from their vocabulary.